The Danish company RGS 90 is building a full-scale industrial demonstration plant for the chemical recycling of PVC waste into oil, salt and minerals. A trial at the pilot plant proved a GEHO hydraulic driven piston pump operable on PVC waste transport.

Weir Netherlands b.v. supplies a GEHO piston pump to a plant in Denmark for the chemical recycling of PVC waste into oil, salt and minerals. RGS 90 holds the patent for this innovative process that addresses concerns by environmental regulators and the public and also the shortcomings of the current deposition or incineration options. The demonstration plant is the first of its kind in the world. It processes 13 tonnes per hour PVC waste that is collected from Denmark and the Baltic region.

The PVC waste, such as old cable, is shredded and mixed with a carrier fluid. This mixture is then pumped into a tube reactor. However, the pumping is difficult – unless a high flow velocity is maintained in the system, the coarse PVC particles do settle at the bottom of the pipe or the mixing tank. This phenomenon is unavoidable inside a reciprocating piston pump. The GEHO pump was installed in the system and it proved that the segregation of solids inside the pump restores in the discharge line. The test also proved that the sharp-edged PVC particles do not cause damage or obstruction to the moving parts of the pump.

The pump is a hydraulic driven two-cylinder single-action design with a transfer tube. It features an actuator assisted valve and air vessel style dampeners. This pump proves that Weir Minerals and GEHO PUMPS have the engineering solution that meets challenging process requirements.